just got my 09 murray boots from boardersmall, and while I havent ridden them yet they have some significant differences that I havent really heard about.

1. firsts....socks are not recommended for these (I also have the 08)

2. reason is the heel pocket is one of those that sucks you down if your in bare feet and they are wet. Also the heel pocket has kidney heels on the side(dont know what else to call them)....so the foam kind of comes out to wrap the back and side of your ankle.

3. the foot bed not only goes through to the board .....but it also slopes down. your heel and mid foot area is up and then the foam goes down towards your foot area.

4. toe heel lift of the boot from the board has been almost eliminated. The base plate screws into the boot with 4 screws...2 near the heel and 2 near the front. Not just centered as in the 08's On dry land when you lean forward or back you can raise them about 1mm........but I guess once they are in the water you couldn't apply that kind of pressure...so there would be no heel toe lift.

5. the new base plate is much stronger and stiffer and connects along about 1/2 of the boot. I would say this is the biggest improvement in Hyperlite bindings period....the baseplate is a substantial piece of engineering not just that piece they used to have on before.

6. out of the box there are no pressure points....new wrap liner is a little thinner than the liquid force liner. But you then still have the thickness of the tongue in front....so very comfy.

7. out of the box they seem stiffer than the 08 with j bars in. But once I soaked them good in the shower they got a little more flex. Like anything they have to be worked in.

8. the lace hooks are a nice touch to keep them out of the way.

9. the toe area has more room than the 08's

10. finally this is one solid made boot.....it just seems to be so much more, its hard to explain but when you get it you feel like you have something of great build quality.

Well with socks I really love the feel of my 08s....and as far as being comfortable.....I see them as equal there.......but different if that makes sense. I also dont know what effect the sloping footbed will have...

but when it comes to the base plate system and the support of the boot.....due to the height differences relative to the board......and the increased support around the ankle 08=7 09=10